A ten-song set, Wide Eyed sees her collaborating with Mark Hammond to co-write the tracks for the album, which he also produced.

Describing it as having a piano-driven sound, Nordeman cites the facet of honesty as the Wide Eyed's main theme — using theological and philosophical concepts to write its lyrical content.

After entering the Billboard Christian Albums chart at number 16, Wide Eyed went on to sell over 130,000 copies in the United States.

To support Wide Eyed, Nordeman embarked on The a Tour as an opening act for the musical groups Avalon and Anointed.

In 1998, Nordeman joined a songwriting competition sponsored by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) after her friend presented her a brochure about it.

So Mark stepped in and somehow - I don't know how - managed to protect what was good about it and what was most important to me about it - which was the lyric, obviously, and the heart of it - and keep that safe while somehow helping me to put it into a format that was somehow accessible to radio.

"[4] Despite winning the songwriting competition with her song "Why", Nordeman decided not to include it in Wide Eyed, saying, "I just felt like my writing was growing and stretching in new directions, and I was kind of exploring new musical identities.

"[3] Wide Eyed's first two tracks, "To Know You" and "Who You Are", were written by Nordeman while working as a waitress in Los Angeles before being signed to a record label.

'"[5] A Psychology graduate, Nordeman tended to write the album's songs with a theological or philosophical context, saying that "I think I've always been a pretty analytical person.

"[3] Nordeman also revealed that her approach in writing lyrics comes in different ways, saying "Sometimes, there's something I've been thinking about – an issue or a question or just something that I've been wrestling with for weeks or months – and finally it just comes spilling out because it has no other choice.

[8] In her review for AllMusic, Dacia Blodgett-Williams praised it as "Christian music with an edge", lauding its lyrical content as contemporary without inspiring despair in the listener.

"[9] Graeme Lamb of Cross Rhythms described its songs as a deep realization that following Christ can sometimes get messy and unpredictable, and remarked that the quality of her lyrics and vocals bring out her understanding of God sharply.